And Six Equals the Brady Bunch
by LilithFanBebeNeuwrotic
Summary: After Lena's cousin dies and leaves her daughter to Lena and Stef, the Fosters are in for more changes. This is Rhiannon's story and her life in the Foster home. Read as she deals with her own personal struggles of depression, grief, guilt and much more. Will Lena and Stef be able to help mend this broken girl?
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is my first Fosters fanfiction, so I hope you guys like it!

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StefPOV

Lena and I were in the kitchen making dinner and Jude had volunteered to set the table.

"Is dinner ready yet?" Jesus asked. "I'm starving."

"Imagine that." I smiled. "It'll be ready in a little bit. Hopefully you won't die of starvation until then."

"I'll try." He smiled.

"Why don't you help Jude set the table?" Lena suggested.

He sighed but Lena gave him The Look. "Hey, Jude, need some help buddy?"

"Good boy." I chuckled.

Suddenly there was a ringing sound.

"Is that the smoke detector?" I asked.

"No," Lena said, going across the room. "It's the landline we've been meaning to disconnect."

She picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello? Hey, Dad-"

"Tell Stewart I said hi." I told her.

"Yeah, me too!" Jesus added.

"Everyone says hi." Lena added. "Oh, okay."

Her face suddenly turned concerned and worried.

"Yeah, I remember." She nodded slowly. "What? Oh my goodness, what happened? Well, is she okay?"

"Is everything okay?" I whispered, walking over to my wife.

"Okay, yeah, we'll be there." She said. "Okay, yeah, yeah, love you too. Yeah, bye."

Lena hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

"Are you all right, love?" I asked, wiping my hands off on a towel.

"Do you remember my cousin, on my dad's side, Lucy?" She asked.

"Yeah, is she okay?"

"She was in a car accident." Lena said. "She was killed on impact. Her daughter is in intensive care."

"Oh my goodness, Rhiannon?" I asked.

"Yes, my dad called to let us know that Lucy's funeral will be on Saturday."

"Oh, hon, I'm so sorry." I said, taking her in my arms. "I know you two were close."

"I just hope Rhiannon will be okay." She sighed. "God, I loved that girl."

"Do you need some time alone?" I asked. "I can finish up dinner."

"Yeah, I'm just going to take a minute upstairs." She nodded.

"Okay,"I said.

"Who's Lucy?" Jesus asked after Lena had left.

"Lucy was Mama's cousin. They were really close when they were younger." I explained. "But, Lucy's job had her move around a lot so they kinda lost contact over the years."

"And Rhiannon is her daughter?" Jude asked.

"Yeah," I answered, going back over to the pan on the stove. "Lena would babysit her when she was younger. She credits her for helping her realize how much she loved kids."

"Is Mama okay?" Mariana asked quietly, coming into the kitchen.

"She just found out that one of her cousin's whom she was very close to died in a car accident and her daughter is in intensive care."

"Woah. No wonder she's upset."

* * *

Lena and I left the kids at the house for the weekend while we went to the funeral.

"Please, no wild parties while we're gone, okay?" I asked.

"So if we keep the parties under control, it's okay?" Jesus asked, I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"No parties at all." I clarified. "We're trusting you guys to be good. Don't do anything you wouldn't do if we were here."

It took us a few hours to get to the Adams' house. Dana and Stewart greeted us warmly.

"Thank you, for letting us stay here for the weekend." Lena said as she hugged her father.

"Oh, you know that you all are welcome here any time." Dana said. "Where is everyone?"

"We thought it would be best to leave them home." I answered.

"Well, it probably was." Stewart shrugged. "I'm sure it would be hard to travel with five kids."

"We didn't really want to take this chance to find out." I chuckled.

"Are we staying in my old room?" Lena asked, heading upstairs.

"Yes." Dana answered. Soon, Lena was out of earshot. "She seems so upset."

"She is." I confirmed. "I think she really regrets that she and Lucy never really got to talk lately."

Lena came back down the stairs.

"How's Rhiannon doing?" She asked.

"Well, she's been in a coma since the accident." Stewart said slowly as he sat down on the couch. We all joined him in taking a seat. "From what we've heard, she had a few broken bones and a couple of cracked ribs that punctured her lung."

"Oh my God." Lena breathed.

"But," He continued." They are saying she's stable for now. They're just waiting for her to wake up."

"Well, that's good, right?" I said, trying to stay optimistic.

After getting settled in, we went to the courthouse for the reading of Lucy's will.

Most everything was going to Rhiannon. There was some money and such that went to siblings and various family members. A few miscellaneous items went to friends.

"And lastly, in the event of my death," Read the lawyer. " I leave sole custody of my daughter, Rhiannon Elizabeth Adams, to my cousin Lena Adams."

I heard Lena gasp beside me. We exchanged a look. By the sound of the room, we weren't the only people that were surprised that Lucy had left Lena her daughter. That was the end of the reading. Everyone started to get up and leave. Lena and I just sat there. Both of us in shock at what we had just learned. How were we going to be able to take in another child? It just didn't seem possible.

"What are we going to do?" Lena asked, voicing my own thoughts.

"I have no idea." I sighed. "But, we can find a way to make it work, right?"

"Stef, I don't know." She admitted. "As much as I want to, I don't know if we can."

"Well, we'll figure something out later." I said, getting up.

We met Stewart and Dana in the foyer.

"Well, would you two like to go to the hospital and see Rhiannon?" Stewart asked.

I looked at Lena for an answer.

"Yes." She said firmly.


	2. Chapter 2

So this chapter is a little shorter, but I hope you guys still enjoy it!

LPOV

We walked up to Rhiannon's hospital room and a nurse let us in. We walked over to the bed where Rhiannon was. There were IV tubes and sensors all over her. Her heart rate was weak and her breathing was slow. Even through all of this, I could see the girl that I had loved so long ago. She was older now of course, probably about sixteen.

"Well, look who beat us here." A man said behind us.

"Uncle Jack, Aunt Sarah," I smiled. "It's good to see you."

" It's good to see you, too dear." Sarah smiled. "And you must be Stef?"

"I am." Stef smiled, stepping forward. "I'm Lena's wife."

"It's nice to meet you." Jack said, shaking Stef's hand.

My father greeted his brother and sister in law warmly. We sat down where we could, although there weren't very many places to sit.

"Lena," Sarah said. "Your uncle and I were talking and we know that Lucy said she wanted you to be Rhiannon's guardian, however we thought it would be better for everyone if we decided to take in Rhiannon."

"Why would you say that?" I asked slowly, taken aback.

"We just think that it would be better for Rhiannon to have a stable environment to grow up in." Jack explained.

"Well if that's what you're worried about," Stef said. "I would consider our home quite stable."

"Yes." My mother agreed. "Those kids couldn't be happier."

"We just know that financially we could support Rhiannon." Sarah said. "And we think that she would be better served living in a house with um... different moral standards than the ones you live by."

"Excuse me?" I said. " Are you saying that you don't want Rhiannon living with us because we're gay?"

"We just don't want Rhiannon getting any ideas-"

"That's enough." My dad spoke up. "I will not have you insulting my daughter that way. There is nothing wrong with who she is and who she loves. And I doubt that just because Lena is married to a woman will have any negative affect on Rhiannon's upbringing."

"Thank you, Dad." I said.

Jack and Sarah were quiet. "Well, we will just let you think about it." Sarah said as the got up to leave.

"Wow." Stef sighed after a moment of silence.

We all looked over to Rhiannon as her breathing changed and she inhaled slowly. Her blue eyes blinked a few times before starting to look around.

"Where am I?" She asked slowly, wincing at the light. "Who are you?"

I got up and slowly walked over to her. "Rhiannon," I said gently. " You probably don't remember me, but I was your mom's cousin. My name's-"

"Lena?" She rasped. "No, I remember."

"Yeah." I smiled, surprised that she remembered. "Uh, you were in a car accident a few days ago. "

"Where's my mom?"

"I'm sorry,but..."

"I see." She said, looking away.

"This is my wife, Stef." I introduced, motioning for her to come over.

"Hi." Stef said softly.

"Hi." Rhiannon smiled. "I'm glad you broke up with Gretchen. I didn't really like her."

"I'm glad, too." Stef joked.

"I heard what my grandparents said to you guys." Rhiannon mentioned. "I had always hoped that if something were to happen to my mom I'd end up with you."

"I'm glad." I told her. " Well, I hope you don't mind not being an only child anymore."

"Because we currently have five kids in our house."

"Are you for real?"

"Yes, we are totally for real." Stef laughed.

"And you're still taking me in?" Rhiannon asked. "You really wanna add a sixth kid to your house?"

"Well, we know it won't be easy, but I think we can make it work." I told her, looking at Stef.

"I think so, too." She said, looking at me also.

"Thank you." Rhiannon said. " Really."

"We wouldn't have it any other way." I told her, taking her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

RPOV

The morning after seeing Lena and Stef, I laid in my hospital bed staring around the room. Everything was so white. There was a stale smell. It was almost like a hotel room, but in a more depressing way. Like the room in a nursing home. You could almost smell the death. It made me uneasy.

A nurse came in later in the morning to bring me breakfast and give me more painkillers. I wondered when I would start taking my antidepressants again. Probably after I got out.

I looked at the calendar on the wall. The days that had passed were marked out, the way I did with my own calendar. According to the date, it had been three days since the accident. Then it hit me like a brick wall. I was going to miss my mother's funeral. It was like a sudden dose of the reality that my mother was dead. I mean, I was sure living with Stef and Lena would be great, but it wouldn't be the same.

I didn't even know where Lena lived anymore. Where would I be living? What school would I be going to? I remembered that Stef said they had other children. What were they like? What if they didn't like me? Surely the last thing they wanted was another kid taking up more space.

"Rhiannon," The nurse knocked on the door as she peeked in. "You have visitors."

Stef and Lena walked in slowly, almost shyly. I smiled a little, trying to make them feel more welcome.

"How are you feeling?" Lena asked softly as she sat in a chair near my bed.

"I'm okay." I nodded.

Stef stood behind Lena with her hand on Lena's shoulder.

"You can sit over here," I mentioned, as the other chair was bolted to the floor across the room. "If you want."

She walked over and sat at the foot of the bed and tucked on leg under the other. I noticed that she was wearing black. So was Lena. The funeral must have been today. For a second, I was about to ask about the funeral. But, I stopped myself. There wasn't much to funerals. They all tended to be about the same. My mom was dead, that was the bottom line.

"So what do you do?" I asked Stef.

"Um," She seemed slightly taken aback at my question. "I'm a police officer."

"And you still teach?" I asked Lena.

"I'm actually the assistant principal now." She smiled with a little bit of pride.

"Where do you guys live?"

"We live in a suburb of San Diego called Mission Bay." Lena answered. "It's a really good neighborhood. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Tell me about your kids." I asked. "What are they like?"

"Well, there's Brandon, our oldest. I had him in a previous marriage." Stef said, smiling a bit at the thought of her son. "He's about to turn seventeen. Then there's Callie whom we adopted with her brother Jude about a year ago. She's the same age as Brandon and Jude is thirteen. And four years ago we adopted our twins, Mariana and Jesus who are about your age."

"That's a lot of kids." I said. "Have you told them about me yet?"

"Well, I thought it would be fun to surprise them," Stef smiled. "But Lena said that we should go ahead and tell them, so we called them last night."

I noticed that Stef's hand had found it's way to my calf and she was windshield wiping with her thumb. It seemed that Stef hadn't even noticed, so I decided not to point it out. It was comforting.

"Okay, Ree, your turn." Lena smiled. "I'm sure you've changed a little bit since you were six."

"What do you wanna know?"

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Stef offered.

"Most everything." I answered. It was vague, but true.

"That gives us nothing." Stef laughed.

"Activities?" Lena suggested.

"Uh... I read. And I listen to music and play Tetris. I watch tv." I said. I suddenly realized something important. "Has anyone gone to my house yet?"

"We haven't yet," Lena said. "Why?"

"Oh my God!" I gasped. "Murphy is there all alone."

"Who's Murphy?" Stef asked.

"My dog." I explained. "She's a Chinese Crested so she stays inside most of the time. But no one's been there to feed her! You guys have to go get her!"

"Okay, I think I remember how to get to your house." Lena said. "Stef, can stay here with you. I'll be right back."

Lena got up and left to go get Murphy and Stef took her place in the chair next to the bed.

"It's a good thing you remembered that." Stef chuckled.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"So, why'd you name her Murphy?"

"I got her from the Humane society and she had gotten herself into trouble a lot. So Murphy seemed fitting. You know, Murphy's law." I said. She didn't seem to know why I was talking about. "Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong; will."

" Ah." She smiled. "That's clever."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all who reviewed!

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RPOV

I was released from the hospital about a week after my mom's funeral. Stef went back to San Diego to check on their kids and I guess let them know that I would be arriving soon. Lena stayed with me and helped me pack up my things and decide what i could get rid of and what would be put into storage. As we packed, Lena told me about her kids. I was happy for the distraction of having to think about the fact that my life was suddenly changing very dramatically.

"Brandon is the oldest, then there's Mariana and Jesus-the twins, and Callie and the youngest, Jude. " She said. "Brandon was Stef's from a previous marriage and we fostered both Mariana and Jesus and later Callie and Jude before eventually adopting them."

She described each of them in detail, with the kind of adoration only a mother could possess.

After a couple of days, we had everything sorted and Stef came back to pick us up. The drive was long and quiet. When we arrived at the house, it was dark and late. I must have fallen asleep in the car. Lena and Stef helped me bring my things in as I hobbled into the house with my cast. I was already in a t-shirt and athletic shorts so I saw no reason to change into pajamas. Lena laid out the sheets and a couple of blankets over the couch and helped me under them. She propped my leg up and kissed me goodnight. Stef did the same.

"Night, sweetie." She whispered. It surprised me at how quickly she had become comfortable calling me something so loving. I could understand Lena doing such, but I had only met Stef about a week ago.

When I woke up the next morning, there was a boy. He had his hands on my cast. Instinctively, I used my good foot to press his face into the couch.

"Who are you and what are you doing?" I asked quickly.

"I'm Jude." He managed, his cheek squished against a cushion. "I was just propping your leg back up."

I removed my foot.

"Sorry." I said. "Reflex."

"Oh." He said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine." I said. "Is anyone else up?"

"Just Moms."

"Huh. " I said as I began to get up.

"I'll get your crutches for you.

"It's fine, I got them." I said.

"They're all the way across the room."

"I've got it." I insisted. I got up and hobbled over to the wall that they were leaning on, grabbing onto a coffee table and the credenza as I made my way. I grabbed the crutches and started into the kitchen.

"Good morning sleepyheads." Lena smiled behind a coffee mug. "Did you sleep well, Rhiannon?"

"Yes, thank you." I said as I sat at the island.

"Well, since you two are the first up we'll let you decide." Stef said. "Waffles or pancakes?"

"Pancakes."

"Waffles." I said.

"Jude, would you mind waffles?" Stef asked.

"No, waffles are fine." He compromised. It amazed me how easily he compromised, without a sigh or a complaint.

I heard a scratching noise and I looked to see Murphey scratching on the back door. I got up and hobbled over to the back door and sat out on the porch with her.

"Hey girl." I smiled. She jumped up and sat next to me on the swing. I petted her smooth skin and she rested her head on my leg. "Well, Murphey, it look like this is our new home."

It wasn't until I had said it out loud that I realized it. This was my life now. Nothing was the same anymore. My mom really had died. I really was living with Lena and Stef now.

"What are we gonna do, Murphey?" I asked as tears began to fall. "She's gone."

For the first time since the accident I was finally starting my grieving period. I guess all of the painkillers kind of helped keep the reality of everything at bay for a while. I thought about everything that happened and I felt that I was partially guilty for my mother's death.

"If I had just-"

"Rhiannon?" Lena asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I'm fine." I lied, quickly wiping away the tears.

"Really?" She asked, not believing a word of it. "Do you want to talk?"

"Waffles are ready!" Stef called.

"I'll be fine." I said, getting up and going into the kitchen. "Thanks, though."

I paused and gave her a hug before entering the house. And that, too, I hadn't realized until saying out loud.

I would be fine.

"


End file.
